Aurora Plastics Corporation is a US toy and hobby production company. This is known primarily due to the production of plastics models of airplanes, cars, and TV and films in the 1960s. The main competitions in modeling are various other plastic modeling companies such as Revell and Monogram.
Video Aurora Plastics Corporation
History
Aurora Plastics Corporation was founded in March 1950 by engineer Joseph E. Giammarino (1916-1992) and entrepreneur Abe Shikes (1908-1997) in Brooklyn, New York (moved to West Hempstead, Long Island in 1954), as a contract manufacturer of injection plastic ( Giammarino 2007; Graham 2007, pp.Ã, 1-2).
By hiring in 1952 from salesman John Cuomo (1901-1971), the company began manufacturing its own line of plastic modeling equipment, marketed efficiently with skeleton staff (Gosson 2015, pp 68-69). The target market is young fans, similar to kits from competitor companies, Monogram and Revell. Aurora profitably targets younger demographics than their competitors, creating smaller and less detailed models at lower prices (Bussie 2007; O'Connor 2006).
The first kit came in late 1952 and 1:48 scale airplane models. One of them is the F9F Panther jet and the other F90 Lockheed (Bussie 2007). The Aurora logo currently appears in small white letters and in a semicircle at the top of the script. The more well known aerial oval did not appear until 1957 (Bussie 2007). The box is the orange color illustrated. The slogan under the Aurora logo is "U - Ma - Kit" (You Make It) (Bussie 2007). Aurora's market approach is to make simple kits, thereby underestimating competition. Along these lines these first two kits appear to be Hawk tools that are measured and copied to Aurora molds themselves (Bussie 2007).
In 1953, six more deaths were made for the new aircraft: Curtiss P-40E Warhawk, Messerschmitt Me-109, Russian Yak-25 (Mig-19), Lockheed F-86D, and Lockheed P-38L Lightning. Last is Mitsubishi Zero, called "Jap Zero" on the box flap (Bussie 2007). With two copies of the first Hawk, this collection is called "Brooklyn Eight" (Bussie 2007).
Maps Aurora Plastics Corporation
Product range
Aircraft
Aurora Plastic's first kit is an airplane and this is the backbone of sales until the 1950s and 1960s. From the beginning of the line Famous Fighters company is very popular. Included are World War I, World War II, jet aircraft and various whirlybirds. A series of planes from the 1930s were also offered. Sailboats, warships, tanks, and other military vehicles are also available (DeHavilland 1957). One World War I plane was DeHavilland Airco DH.4. Many aircraft, such as the Blue Angel F-4J, the McDonnell-Douglas Phantom II and the A-7D Corsair II LTV, are offered on a larger 1/48 scale. Other smaller scales such as Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker at about 1: 100, as it will be more than two feet long at 1/48; and even smaller, like the Convair B-58 Hustler bombers on a tiny 1: 200 scale, or about 6 inches in length.
Automotive package
In 1965, Aurora had many cars on a 1:32 "slot car" scale including Triumph TR3, MG-TD, Jaguar XK120, Austin-Healey 3000, convertible Alfa Romeo GT, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL convertible, 1958 Ford "Squarebird" Thunderbird , American Cunningham, and several Indianapolis 500 winners, such as Monroe Specials, and Fuel Injection Specials.
Media tie-ins
Aurora may have the greatest success with their numerical devices. This includes a series of popular historical knights in armor, and other surviving buildings, animals, boats, clowns, Liberty Bell, and other interesting objects. Guys and Gals of all Nations were also produced and included Dutch, Chinese, Indian and Scottish figures (DeHaviland 1957).
Aurora obtained a license from Universal Studios to create a kit line based on Universal monster, which became the company's most popular offer. Kit Aurora Frankenstein appeared in 1961. Giant Frankenstein is an all-round plastic kit that, when assembled, creates a 19-inch model. This was followed by twelve other monster characters published and re-published in various versions until the early 1970s (Castile 1996). After this monster vehicle like Dragster Dracula, Frankenstein Flivver, Godzilla Go-Cart, King Kong's Thronester, Mummy Chariot and Wolfman Wagon were introduced, fortifying the company's car offerings (Gosson 2015, p. 69).
Licensed models based on the characters from movies, TV shows, and comic books were also introduced. Batman is a regular offering like the Hulk, so DC and Marvel characters are represented. Model kit from Twelve O'Clock High , The Man from UNCLE , The Mod Squad , Sailing to the Seabed (sub Seaview larger and separate packages from the fly sub), The Invaders , Lost in Space , Land of the Giants and Star Trek appear. These kits are often television-related scenes in which heroes fight against a kind of great monster, alien or animal. Aurora image device continues to be highly rated by collectors. Aurora uses artist James Bama for some of their box art.
Motor model
In the late 1950s, Aurora acquired the rights to the Model Motoring slot car racing system from the US toy maker Playcraft. Aurora's first HO-gauge racing blow appeared in the fall of 1960.
The cars were originally driven by a unique vibrator drive system based on a "buzzer" door. This motor consists of a wire coil around a vertical iron setter that very quickly opens and closes the contacts that supply power to the coil, and also pushes the reed up and down using a toothed drum on the rear axle, causing it to spin. When these early cars were down the track, they produced a loud "buzz", which many users found annoying. The vibrator car was produced until 1963 when the Thunderjet pancake motor, or T-jet, replaced it. After improvements to the chassis with the Thunderjet and A/FX series as well as the adoption of the popular race car body style, the Aurora Motoring model race became the top seller, with over 25,000,000 cars sold in 1965 (HO Slot Car Racing 1999-2011).
By the late 1970s, however, slot car hobbies had passed and modeling was generally in decline (HO Slot Car Racing 1999-2011). One website attributes the decline both from the maturity of the baby-boom generation along with the fragile economy of the slot car industry and the closing of many auto slot shops as the toy company offers smaller sets for home use (Slotblog 2007).
Cigarbox competes with Hot Wheels
In 1968, Aurora introduced a miniature Cigarbox car and the timing could not have been worse. It was developed to compete with Matchbox in the year introduced by Mattel Hot Wheels. The Cigarbox car line is a combination of a somewhat bland somewhat bland plastic car body with a metal chassis (Ragan 2000, p. 38). The model is claimed to be HO scale, but the car is bigger than HO - but slightly smaller than Hot Wheels.
Cigarbox cars are packed in boxes like small yellow cigars that have red serifs and gold ornaments. The boxes are slightly bigger, flatter and more rectangular than matchboxes, measuring 4 "x 2.75" x more than 1 "in (Breithaupt no date). If Lesney can have" Match "box, Aurora thinks it can have the popular Cigar Boxes "Cigars" that the Matchbox carries Aurora to court for copyright infringement over a similar marketing approach Today it encrypts acceptable cultural boundaries Is smoking promoted? anything, the Cigarbox marque soon disappeared (Ragan 2000, p.Ã, 38-39).
Some of the cars offered, however, are unique and not often seen in miniatures, such as the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500, the 1963 Buick Riviera, the Mako Shark Corvette concept, the Chevy Cheetah, the Lola GT coupe racing, and the Porsche 904 (Ragan 2000, p.Ã, 39). Some Formula 1 cars are also offered in the series (Southwest Spirit Antiques 1998-2011). Initially, most cars were offered in the form of a plain-colored plastic body with high friction wheels ('creaky'), although their rubber tires were more authentic than hard plastic - making it similar to the Matchbox tradition. Some cars, such as De Tomaso Mangusta, have worked steering. Finally, thinner, lower friction wheels (some chrome and some not) are added and glossy finishing paints like chrome are introduced, making the car stand out, but the competition is very sharp and financial problems loom. This upgraded version was sold under the name Speed ​​Line, and also as a slot car body and in kit form, but the line was discontinued in 1970.
Use of logo and retooling
Founder Aurora retired in the late 1960s and the company was sold to outside investors in 1969. After expanding into toy and game markets with limited success, the new owner sold the company to Nabisco in 1971. Nabisco received unwanted publicity when Aurora introduced a line of "Monster Scenes" which includes torture devices and casualties of poorly dressed women; newspapers reported negatively on the phone, and the National Organization for Women voiced their objections. Six years after their acquisition, Nabisco sold the company to a one-time Aurora Monogram competitor.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, toy and hobby companies Play Mantis created a division called Polar Lights (as a reference to Aurora ) that reissued some of the most popular kits in Aurora. Other companies that follow in Aurora shoes have reissued the previous Aurora kit (Gosson 2015, p. 72). These include Moebius, Atlantis and Monarch, which mostly focus on Aurora sci-fi trends and movies and TV and movie horror scenes. For example, Moebius, started by a former Polar Lamp model distributor in Glenwood, Florida, has reissued a substantial Seaview submarine kit from the 1960s Sailing to the Seabed TV shows and Dr. Old Jekyll as Mr. Hyde kit (Moebius Models website). The Monarch model is based in London, Ontario, Canada - started by a doctor (Powell 2009; Monarch Models website 2011). The Atlantis Model is based in East Northport, New York, and although it also makes sci-fi figures, it has the same focus on dioramic animals (the Model Atlantis site; Powell 2010). Polar Lights, Monarch and Moebius all use an oval logo very similar to the original. The Atlantis (see Zorro re-issue) logo uses more abstract, though nostalgic, oval broken into six parts.
In the 1990s, the family of Joseph Giammarino announced the return of the Aurora Plastics Corporation as a hobby kit manufacturer under the name LAPCO, or Lost Aurora Plastics Corporation, with a product line to incorporate a re-engineering of old tools. Nothing comes from this. Once again in 2007, the Giammarino family announced the return of the Aurora, with their first offer declaring to include aircraft and drawing devices from their original 1960s line (Giammarino 2007). This website lists products that will be available in May-June 2012, but by March 2015, none were available to book and the site appears to have not been updated.
I see that part of Aurora that has been abandoned, is their short line on the "N" Scale Train.
Aurora sold the N Scale Trains under the name of the Postage Stamp Car Brand in the mid-1960s, As I recall the train model made by someone else, the train set, has the name AURORA in every box.
If I know how to attach Photos, then I will attach them here
References
- Atlantis Model. No date. atlantis-models.com
- Breithaupt, Doug. No date. Cigarbox by Aurora. breithaupts.com
- Bussie, Alan. 2007. Brief History of Aurora Plastic Model Kit. Web Page of the Kit Model Tua.com [1]
- Castile, Raymond. 1996. Monster Toy Gallery.
- DeHaviland. 1957. Aircraft Aurora DeHaviland DeH-4 World War I. Instruction Kit and kit list.
- Giammarino, Michael J. 2007. Aurora Plastics Corporation.
- Gosson, Scotty. 2015. Show Rod Model Kits. An American Wildest Kit Model Showcase. Forest Lake, Minnesota: CarTech Publishing. ISBN: 978-1613251560
- Graham, Thomas. 2007. Aurora Model Kits , 2nd ed. Schiffer Publishing. ISBNÃ, 0-7643-2518-3
- HO Slot Car Racing. 1999-2011. History of HO Racing. hoslotcarracing.com
- Moebius's model. No date. moebiusmodels.com
- Monarch Model. 2011. monarchmodels.net
- O'Connor, Mike. 2006. On-line review of the Aurora Model Kit, first edition. modelingmadness.com
- Powell, Todd. 2009. The Monarch prepares to become a 21st Century Aurora. resinbarbarian.com
- Powell, Todd. 2010. Atlantis rides on a tidal wave of plastics to bring back more model kits from past and future hobbies. resinbarbarian.com
- Ragan, Mac. 2000. Diecast cars of the 1960s. Osceola, Wisconsin: MBI Publishing. ISBNÃ, 0-7603-0719-9.
- Slotblog. 2007. Why is slot car racing fading so fast in popularity in 1967-68? Forum webstring. [2]
- southwestspiritantiques.com 1998-2011. The web page features the 1967 Formula One Ferrari Cigarbox Toy Car.
External links
- Aurora Plastics Corporation - reorganizes the company website
- Collecttoys.net: A complete list of Aurora model kits
- Original Issues Aurora Godzilla's Go Cart 1966 Considered the Holy Grail of Model Kits
- Aurora Dexterity and Commercial Drag Race Set - Public Domain, Prelinger Archive .
- Aurora/AFX Formula 1 HO Slot Cars
- Vintage Collection of Aurora Slot Car Catalog from Front Range of HO Slot Car Racing Club of Colorado.
- Aurora Commercial Speedline
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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